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Purple Island, Ungok Village designated 'Best Tourism Villages'

Banwol and Bakji Island of Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, known together as the “Purple Island,” have been included in the United Nations World Tourism Organization's “Best Tourism Villages” list, announced Thursday. Korea Times fileBy Kwon Mee-yooTwo Korean tourist sites ― the Purple Island and Ungok Village ― made their way onto the list of “Best Tourism Villages” awarded by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The U.N. agency dealing with tourism announced its inaugural “Best Tourism Villages” list during its 24th General Assembly in Madrid, Spain, Thursday. There, the Purple Island of Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, and Ungok Village in Gochang County, North Jeolla Province, were recognized as outstanding examples of rural tourism destinations.The initiative aims to encourage tourism to rural villages, while safeguarding them and resolving regional imbalances through sustainable development in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals. This year, 44 villages from 32 countries were included in the

Dec 3, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Purple Island, Ungok Village designated 'Best Tourism Villages'

Food columnist continues disparaging Korean-style fried chicken

gettyimagesbankBy Lee Hae-rinKorean food columnist Hwang Kyo-ik, who created a stir by saying Korean-style fried chicken is not tasty due to the small size of the birds, has raised a question about its global popularity.He referred to a survey about Korean food, conducted by the Korean Food Promotion Institute and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of 8,500 people in 17 major cities around the world who have tried Korean food, released Sunday.According to the survey, 30 percent said they like Korean-style fried chicken the most and intend to eat it again. Chicken was followed by kimchi at 27.7 percent, bibimbap (rice mixed with assorted vegetables) at 27.2 percent and tteokbokki (rice cakes stir-fried in spicy sauce) at 18 percent.Hwang raised the question whether fried chicken can be considered a “Korean” food, saying no traditional Korean ingredients are used ― chicken breeds were from the U.S. and the U.K., the feeds consisted of grains imported from the U.S. and the oil used to fry them comes from beans or corn from the U.S.“Are we really proud

Nov 29, 2021By Lee Hae-rin
Food columnist continues disparaging Korean-style fried chicken

4 tucked-away alleys in Seoul to enjoy

Mullae Arts Village / Korea Times fileBy Jun Ji-hyeKey social distancing measures have been eased, as the first stage of the government's “Living with COVID-19” scheme began at the start of this month. But concerns over COVID-19 infections still abound, with the country's daily caseloads remaining in lower four digits. For those who want to avoid popular, crowded places due to concerns over the risk of infections, global hotel search platform HotelsCombined recommends hidden alleys in Seoul where they can take a load off.Mullae Arts Village Mullae Arts Village, located just a five-minute walk from Mullae Station, has a unique concept that is quite different from other attractions in Seoul. This neighbourhood saw new life starting in the 2000s when artists who were looking for new studios due to rising rent prices in areas around Hongdae and Daehangno gathered in the aging industrial area of Mullae-dong where ironworks were concentrated. It is a factory area with a lot of urban decay, but once visitors get past that they will discover that the alleys are rife with art. The

Nov 25, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
4 tucked-away alleys in Seoul to enjoy

Andaz Seoul Gangnam presents afternoon tea set for winter

Andaz Seoul Gangnam presents the “Winter Wonderland Afternoon Tea Set” that offers winter desserts, finger foods and savories in addition to coffee or tea. Courtesy of Andaz Seoul GangnamBy Jun Ji-hyeAndaz Seoul Gangnam, a lifestyle hotel by Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, has launched the “Winter Wonderland Afternoon Tea Set,” featuring a combination of winter desserts, finger foods and savories in addition to coffee or tea.The afternoon tea set is available at Jogakbo Bites and Wine bar until the end of February next year from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily, offering a colorful dessert arrangement with scenes from Christmas and the end of the year. Last orders are at 4 p.m.The menu items are served in a box reminiscent of a Christmas present. The meal items are stacked on top of dry ice at the base of the box to add an impression of snow and mist. The sweet menu items are composed of seven desserts, including a rose chocolate mousse, macarons and cookies.Savory items include raspberry and cheese scones that are crispy on the outside but moist on the inside; a bacon and

Nov 25, 2021
Andaz Seoul Gangnam presents afternoon tea set for winter

Australia to reopen to Korean tourists in bid to revive economy

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison gestures during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Nov. 22. The Australian government expects 200,000 vaccinated foreign students and skilled workers will return without quarantining when the country further relaxes border restrictions next week. AP-YonhapAustralia will allow foreign visa holders to enter the country from the start of December, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, the latest step to restart international travel and support its economy.Australia shut its international border in May 2020 and allowed only restricted numbers of citizens and permanent residents to enter in a bid to curtail the spread of COVID-19.The rules were relaxed in recent weeks to allow foreign family members of citizens to enter, and Morrison said this will be scaled up from Dec. 1 to allow vaccinated students, business visa holders and refugees to arrive."The return of skilled workers and students to Australia is a major milestone in our pathway back," Morrison told reporters in Canberra. Australia will also allow in vac

Nov 22, 2021
Australia to reopen to Korean tourists in bid to revive economy

Asiana to resume Guam route next month

This image provided by Asiana Airlines shows the company's A321NEO passenger jet. Courtesy of Asiana AirlinesAsiana Airlines, South Korea's second-biggest carrier, said Monday it will resume flights to Guam late next month to preemptively respond to pent-up travel demand amid rising vaccinations and eased virus curbs. Asiana plans to run a 188-seat A321NEO plane and operate two flights a week on the Incheon-Guam route from Dec. 23, the company said in a statement."The company decided to reopen the Guam route after 18 years, as it has a couple of destinations to fly at the moment due to a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic," a company spokesman said over the phone.Those who have passed two weeks since their second round of vaccinations and submit negative polymerase chain reaction test results will be exempt from the mandatory self-isolation in Guam, it said. The carrier currently operates four flights a week from Incheon to Singapore and plans to add one flight on the route from Dec. 1. Korea and Singapore recently signed a travel bubble agreement, which refers to a quarantine-free travel p

Nov 22, 2021
Asiana to resume Guam route next month

Korea's whisky imports jump over 70 percent this year

Bottles of whisky / Korea Times fileSouth Korea's imports of whisky soared more than 70 percent in the first 10 months of the year as more people drank at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Monday.The value of whisky imports came to $93.21 million in the January-October period, up 73.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service and the local liquor industry.It represents the first on-year increase in the country's whisky imports since 2014.Industry sources attributed the surge to the fact that a growing number of people drink at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.South Korea's whisky imports had been on the skids since peaking at $264.6 million in 2007.The downturn followed the implementation of the country's draconian anti-graft law in 2016 and a 52-hour workweek in 2018. Tough social distancing measures were also responsible as many bars in Seoul were forced to shut down.The jump in South Korea's whisky imports thus helped foreign whisky makers' local subsidiaries perform far better this year. Pernod Ricard Korea also saw its turnove

Nov 22, 2021
Korea's whisky imports jump over 70 percent this year

Foreign nationals invited to Korean Food Video Contest

A poster for the 2021 Korean Food Video Contest / Courtesy of Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural AffairsBy Jun Ji-hyeThe Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is holding the 2021 Korean Food Video Contest, in which any foreign national living in or outside Korea is eligible to participate, the ministry said Sunday.The contest is aimed at sharing how to cook, eat and enjoy Korean food with people around the world. It consists of two sections ― a cooking video about kimchi and Korean traditional ingredients called “jang,” and an eating video about any Korean food. Participants can upload video clips of up to 30 minutes about the topics on the contest's official website and their own YouTube channels or Instagram accounts.Those who have more than 500 subscribers in their social media accounts are classified as Group A, while those who have less than 500 subscribers are classified as Group B. A total of $81,000 and $53,000 will be awarded to winners in Group A and Group B, respectively.The submission period is until Dec. 18, and winners will be announced on Dec

Nov 22, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Foreign nationals invited to Korean Food Video Contest

Jeju Air to resume flights to Bangkok amid easing entry restrictions

Vendors wearing face masks sell vegetables at a market amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bangkok, Nov. 16. Reuters-YonhapJeju Air Co., South Korea's biggest budget carrier, said Friday it is resuming flights to Bangkok starting later next month on the back of eased entry curbs in the Southeast Asian country.Jeju Air will operate four flights per week for the Incheon-Bangkok route from Dec. 22, about 18 months after it suspended the route on the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.Since the flight suspension, it has only been running chartered planes to fly South Korean citizens traveling for essential reasons such as business or public service.The flight resumption comes as Thailand has lifted the mandatory COVID-19 quarantine for vaccinated travelers from South Korea while requiring them to present negative COVID-19 test results.With the planned flight resumption, Jeju Air plans to speed up the process to normalize the regular routes amid the easing of entry restrictions in foreign countries, helped by rising vaccination rates. Jeju Air resumed flights to Guam e

Nov 19, 2021
Jeju Air to resume flights to Bangkok amid easing entry restrictions

Must-know tips and nice accommodation for travel to Singapore

Seen is Singapore's famous view around the Marina Bay district, a popular tourist attraction there. gettyimagesbankSearch for flights between Singapore, Korea soaring with travel bubble accordBy Jun Ji-hyeA travel bubble agreement signed between Singapore and Korea in October went into effect Monday. Singapore has since allowed fully vaccinated visitors to travel between Incheon International Airport and Changi Airport without quarantining through its Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme. Following the signing of the agreement, the search volume for flights to both Singapore and Korea has rapidly increased, reflecting the hopes of people who have been stuck at home due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic about the resumption of international tourism, according to global online travel agencies. Hotels.com said that it saw a spike in the search volume for outbound flight to both countries in the second week of October when the travel bubble news was announced.Flight searches to Korea from Singapore spiked from the mere double digits to over 1,100 searches on the day of announcement. The

Nov 18, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Must-know tips and nice accommodation for travel to Singapore
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